Mutual Rights
by InsaneDutchGirl
Summary: The five times the members of the Hamato family were denied their human rights and the one time they weren't. All the Hamatos have equal parts in this. The chapters are formed by quotes from The Universal Declaration of Human rights. T for violence and maybe some later swearing from Raphael. Please enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**Okay you guys, this fic is a little different from what I usually write. I read a couple of stories, all starting with: 'The five times (this and this happened) and the one time (something else happened).' I liked the idea and since my schooling involved a lot of visits to UN-buildings and stuff, inspiration started flowing.**

 **Anyways, enjoy these 6 upcoming chapters and don't forget, I'm just a child. I'm too stupid to either own the turtles or the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. So don't go suing me or anything, I only own this laptop and I don't want to lose it.**

 **Chapter 1:** _"The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the state" The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, article 16.3_

The Rough knocking on his hardwood door was the first sign for Hamato Yoshi that something was wrong when it woke him from his slumber. He checked his bedside alarm clock and noticed it was quite late already, half past nine to be precise. However, yesterday was a tiring day so it wasn't a surprise that he slept well into the morning for once.

Another round of knocking starts and before Yoshi can react, one of the little turtle infants wakes up to the sound and starts crying. With the concern of a human father and the speed of a cornered rat, Yoshi reaches the four babies who he left curled up on the floor in blankets. The first night he had placed them on his bed but had woken up a few hours later when one of the turtles had managed to fall off and hurt himself. Since then he knew the floor would be a safer place, at least until they would be a little older. It wasn't like he could go to a store and buy four cribs, for the obvious reason that he was a rodent as well as that he couldn't financially afford it to look after four infants.

He takes the crying mutant into his arms and rocks him, like he has done multiple times before. He had quickly found out that these creatures where very much like human children and had an intellect that matched one-year-olds. The little one he had picked up remembers him and curls up in the warm embrace, unlike they had doe the first few days and where wary of the stranger that handled them. Of course their nervousness was also fuelled by the fact that their perspective of the world had changed dramatically by their mutation. Yoshi still had several bite marks across his arms and hands from where the turtles had bitten him when they didn't like to be picked up.

The other children woke up fully as well and felt safe enough to wander around the room for a little bit, knowing that their sibling is in safe hands, hands they'd been in multiple times before. All heads raised though, when the knocking becomes harder and more impatient than it had been previously.

"Yoshi Hamato," a stern voice said and inwardly Yoshi sighed. Japanese customaries had him taught that it was incorrect and even impolite to name someone by their first name and then their last, unless you were good friends and you could leave out the last name all together. But even then it was more formal to add _san_ after the first name. Americans thought differently and although Yoshi understood they never meant to offend him, he couldn't help but feel annoyed. Especially when the one that called his name was also the one who had awoken his little ones when they finally had decided to sleep in that morning.

"This is the police. You have to open this door immediately."

Suddenly Yoshi's heartbeat quickened and his fur bristled in panic. The turtles picked up on his change in demeanour and the three on the floor tried to make themselves invisible underneath the bed and in the corners of the room, two of them huddling together next to the nightstand. The one in his arms buried closer to his fur.

He couldn't open the door, that was obvious. But he wasn't able to escape anywhere. The only way out of his small apartment was what the police where now barricading. Staying here, however, wasn't an option either; they would enter his temporary home one way or another.

He gathered his children into one of the blankets he had lying on the floor. It was their favourite and the rat hoped it would provide them some comfort in their new home. He had found it yesterday but hadn't anticipated on moving in for another week, slowly preparing it without having the turtles unsupervised in his apartment for too long. But desperate times asked for desperate measures. He bound the blanket with the young ones onto his back as a carrier, like he had done before. The turtles liked it to be carried this way because they would be close to his warm body and each other.

There was no knocking anymore and no voices to be heard. The police men probably went downstairs to retrieve the spare key the owner of the building, Ben Parker, possessed. Yoshi knew why they were here. Parker had been knocking on his door several times to inquire about the crying he suddenly heard from Yoshi's apartment. Children meant that extra rent should be paid and as Mr. Parker had never liked Hamato Yoshi much, the unanswered calls and crying of babies had given him a good excuse to get rid of Hamato Yoshi from his building.

Yoshi was alright with that, Parker could have the apartment and everything that was still in there. He would look for a new life, together with these four new-found creatures. He didn't know it then, but it would be his new family here in New York, half a year after he lost his beloved daughter and wife in Japan.

He opened the window in the kitchen, the large one that would lead to the fire-escape alongside the building. Silently he thanked Mr. Parker for at least giving him an apartment on the second floor. That way he didn't have to climb down too far with the precious cargo he was carrying on his back. Before he knew it he stood in the alley below, little baby-noises coming from behind him. He was glad the infants were still so young and didn't understand the danger of the situation they were in. They merely enjoyed the fresh air and the morning light, both of which they hadn't seen too much of these last two weeks.

Yoshi gave them a few more seconds of sunlight before he finally lifted the manhole cover that was situated at the back of the alley. It had taken him over a week to figure out what was the safest place for him and the children to live. He discovered that new subway stations had been opened all over New York as the old tunnels had parts that where hazardous and could collapse. Yoshi had downloaded the blueprint of the new station together with the old one and compared. Some of the old tunnels had been incorporated in the new subway-tracks but most had been abandoned, together with all its former stations. None of the stations had any problems and weren't on the point of collapsing, Yoshi understood from the files. He had found out that one of those stations was nearby his former home and that the entrance towards it had already been completely closed off, a pavement now covering it all.

That is the place Yoshi is headed towards now. It is far from perfect but at least it has proper plumbing as he only had to switch a couple of handles on the pipes to have the bathrooms fully operated again. Other primary necessities he could gather around the city now he had an easy way of traveling safely. The subway's tunnels led to places all over the city and several of them were connected to the sewers by manholes, just as the ones on the streets. The combination of both systems created an underground mace that could bring Yoshi everywhere he wanted to go. It would be a place without humans, somewhere the turtles could grow up as safe as they possibly could.

When almost there the small noises on his back slowly turned into louder whines and pitiful cries. Yoshi understood the turtles were hungry as normally he would already have fed them their breakfast. He couldn't deny that he was growing hungry himself. However, he knew it was important to have the little ones safe first. After that he would venture outside again to find something suitable for himself and the turtles to eat.

He had found out that the turtles still liked to eat the pet food he purchased when they were still merely fifteen centimetres in length. But the food was still in his former home and with the police now probably already inside and searching for him, going back was out of the question. The little ones needed to eat though. He knew it is unhealthy to have growing infants go hungry for a full day and as their caretaker it was his task to make sure that wouldn't happen. The rest of the way home he tried to come up with a solution to that problem.

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He had left the turtles in their new home. There was an area in the middle of the station that was surrounded by benches and other high obstacles. The turtles had just started crawling and hat not shown any interest in climbing yet so Yoshi had dubbed it good enough for the time being. Of course, leaving four infants on their own was one of the worst things a parent could do but for now Yoshi didn't have a lot of choices. The babies needed food and getting to that would be even more difficult with the four young ones on his back.

His plan was to go to the local pet store, the place he had bought the four turtles a little over two weeks ago. Yoshi had already wondered several times what actually was the catalyst that got him to buy four terrapins as pets, a decision that, subsequently, had started this whole adventure. Mostly turtles remembered him of his childhood as the home he grew up in had a pond full of them. His father had always enjoyed watching the creatures and when he was little, Yoshi hadn't understood that. Wasn't a puppy more fun to play with? Only later, when Yoshi's wild antics slowed down and his training in ninjutsu began, he started to learn. Just like the care for a bonsai, raising turtles took time and patience. Turtles would live to become very old and thus, according to Japanese folklore, they are wise. To successfully learn from them, you need the patience and calm of a turtle. You need to watch and listen like they do, tread carefully and remember that when something seems to go wrong, safety will always be as nearby as the shell on a turtle's back.

So when Hamato Yoshi came to New York looking for a fresh start, taking up his father's hobby seemed like a good idea to remind him of his heritage. Also it would give him something to do and maybe the tiny companions would make his life in the Big Apple more bearable.

If he had known what it would turn out to, maybe he would have decided against it. The responsibility of four young, mutated children was too much for the broken man, far from his homeland and friends. Yet he had taken on that responsibility the moment he had bought them. And when he had interfered with the strange men in the alley, he had set his destiny. He couldn't run away from it now. He couldn't run away from _them_ now.

Carefully he lifted himself onto some rubble. This part of the tunnels had indeed collapsed and created a hole for him to enter the sewers. From there it was easy to go anywhere he wanted in the city. It took him quite some time to find the right street leading him to the pet shop but when he had found it he knew he had to be on high alert. It was Sunday today so the store wouldn't open, which was perfect for Yoshi.

He hefted himself from the manhole and into the alleyway behind the shop. He had always kept a small tanto inside his robe and that day he was glad for it. With the sharp blade it was easy to break open the rather old and hardly used door at the back of the building. When inside the rest was easy.

He went into the shop, staying within the shadows the rising sun provided. He had been here only once but still remembered clearly where the turtle food was kept. After taking a couple of cans in his hands, he decided it would be easier if he put them all in a bag. That way he could bring more and have a longer time to figure out how to feed the little turtles. Obviously he couldn't keep stealing for the rest of their lives.

But when he reached behind the counter where he knew the plastic bags were stored, he heard something. He turned around and walked towards the sound, a mistake, he would realise later. When he came closer to the door he came through he saw the silhouette of a human being coming near and his heartbeat quickened. A red flag was raised in the back of his head when he saw the human was a police officer. Only now does Yoshi realise how easy the break-in really had been. Of course there would be something to keep the shop safe from burglaries, something like a silent alarm to a police station.

Another figure, a woman this time, also came through the door and together the humans carefully and quietly inched closer to where Yoshi hid. They would find him, there was no doubt about that. The backdoor was the only option for him to escape as the front door would lead to a busy main road. He only saw one choice left for him to take, but he procrastinated it till the humans were only a few seconds from noticing him.

He stepped into the light and held his hands up slightly in surrender. He made sure he stayed in the back of the shop so no one from the street could see him through the shop's windows.

"Please," he said although the humility from the surrender pained him slightly. He probably could fight these humans but the chance a fight would escalade was big. Humans could be injured badly and a hunt could be opened on not only him but also the turtle infants. If these humans were compassionate and truly cared about their function, maybe he could escape. After that, he promised himself, he would be more careful.

The man's face was growing pale, shock clearly readable in his eyes when he scanned them over Yoshi's body. The woman took a couple of steps back, a hand covering her mouth. Both however, quickly recovered and they took their weapons out. A Taser in the woman's hand, a hand-held gun in the man's.

"What are you?" the man demanded, standing up straighter and showing his muscular frame in a subconscious move to intimidate Yoshi.

"Please," Yoshi said again. "I was a human once, like you. Something terrible happened to me and some little children. I just need some food. If you let me leave now I promise to not come back."

He decided not to mention the turtles were never human children to begin with, like he was. He could possibly earn more sympathy from them if they thought innocent kids had been harmed as well and that Yoshi was trying to save them. In some abstract way, that wasn't completely a lie. The children were harmed, once Yoshi was kicked out of his home and he had to provide for them without aid from the society.

"Officer, I promise you I'll repay everything I take but let me leave with some food. At least for those infants, they didn't do anything wrong."

Both humans remained hesitant and quiet until the woman whispered something into the walky-talky on her shoulder. Yoshi could feel panic setting in and new he had to handle this quickly and with as little noise as possible.

"What have you done to the children," the man asked Yoshi, not sounding unkind. "Where are they now?"

"The children are safe," Yoshi answered hurriedly. "But they need food or they will not survive. I need to take this to them."

Yoshi held up the few cans of food and a grimace moved over the man's face when he saw them. If Yoshi could, he would have screamed. Of course it looks weird when a rat-man claims to have children somewhere and that he needs to feed them with turtle food. The strangest thing is though, that it was the truth.

This time the woman steps forward. "There are no reports of missing children, at least not as young as infants. Now tell us the truth sir, or we will have to use force on you."

Desperation made a quick prey out of Yoshi. He is a ninja master, yet, but at this moment of panic he finds it hard to keep his emotions in check. He cannot let these people get a hold of him and the turtles. At least not when he isn't sure if they will be treated right by the humans. The threat of the police woman came as a great shock to Yoshi.

"I do not believe I am a threat, miss. If I'm not mistaken, it is your job to do all that is in your power to protect people, not threaten them and hurt them in cold-blood. I'm only trying to take care of what is closest to me as a family."

At this point Yoshi knew he sounded desperate, that he was begging, but he couldn't help himself. He was tired, broken and god forbid, he was afraid. He had no idea what to do, shunned by his own race and threatened while he tried to help the only creatures that suffered the same faith as he did.

Suddenly the man holds his gun up after something else is said through his communicator. Because of his improved hearing, Yoshi could hear what was said this time. ' _We have had a sighting of another mutant a week ago. Eliminate it, those freaks are dangerous'._

"I'm sorry," he said, which surprised Yoshi slightly. "But we protect humans, not beasts."

Only because of his agility and new-found quickness acquired by his mutation, could Yoshi escape that day. Also maybe, because the humans were afraid of him. Neither of those possibilities calmed Yoshi down in the slightest. It hurt, being different like this.

Hours later, tired both emotionally and physically, did Yoshi enter the subway station again. The turtles had waited faithfully for him and didn't look harmed. They were used to being alone for short and longer periods of time. They knew they had to behave then because when they would hurt themselves and Yoshi wasn't there, their cries of pain wouldn't be heard.

The little ones seemed happy enough with his return and crowded at his feet. First Yoshi thought they were looking for food or warmth from him, like they did many times before. But one by one stubby arms reached for him and little noises alerted Yoshi that they asked to be picked up by him. He could only hold two at the time but the other two were content by just being close to him as well.

The sweet, round faces that surrounded him calmed his nerves slightly and made him smile. He could not leave these young creatures to their own devices. Not only because he was responsible for them and their mutation, but also because they were the only ones he had left. A tiny family of monsters, _no mutants_ , he corrected himself. They would take care of each other and make each other happy in their own little world underground. They could manage, they would survive.

When that same day was filled with the many cries of hungry children, and all Yoshi could do was pass along a plastic bottle with water for the babies to drink, Yoshi felt betrayed. He understood this wouldn't be the first time him and the turtles would be treated unfairly. And at the same time, he hoped it wouldn't make him bitter.

 **And that's the first chapter. I hope you guys don't mind my take on how Yoshi found their home. I wondered how it all came to be, their lair which is obviously an abandoned subway station but doesn't have any way up to the surface. And how the turtles move through the subway tunnels at one point, and through the sewers the other. This is just how I imagine that to be and if anything is unclear at all, don't hesitate to ask.**

 **As for the turtles, you may decide yourself who is who. As one-year-olds children often have little traits like how some are grumpier or sleepier or more playful than others. But there aren't that many traits when they're so young. So I left that pretty much open for you guys to figure out. Next chapters will come when I have time again, I got a lot of other stories to update of course. But it's going to rain here for three days, starting on Monday, so maybe I can make miracles happen ;)**

 **See ya!**


	2. Chapter 2

**So I was like, incredibly bored today because lately I've been studying way too much for my oncoming exams and all of the sudden I was like: yeah I'm gonna watch the 2k3 show non-stop. So I did just that. And I got inspired. And then this happened. So long story short, Enjoy!**

 **Number 2:** _"Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property" The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, article 17_

I had it first. When dad came back to the lair with the toys he found last night, he gave it to me first. When we all woke up that morning and dad told us to play in the living room while he made us breakfast, I had it first. But after we had eaten and Mikey and I had helped daddy with cleaning up afterwards, _he_ was playing with it.

Well I got angry of course so I pushed him and got my toy back, because it is mine. When I had it I noticed that _he_ had taken the back of the action figure off and that all kinds of wires and plastic were poking out where they shouldn't have been poking out. I told him it was mine since I had it first and that he shouldn't have touched it, but then he started yelling back and now for some reason dad chose me to stand in the corner. Probably because next to Mikey, it's me who gets into trouble most of the time.

"Raphael?"

I look up and see dad coming over. He crouches down in front of me which I hate. We're eight years old already, he doesn't have to act like we're still toddlers.

"Raphael, do you understand why I put you in time-out?"

I huff angrily and cross my arms. I want to shout at dad but I know I shouldn't. He'll punish me if I do because I won't do as he says which means I'm 'questioning his reasoning' and being 'disrespectful'. I'm not really sure what he means with that, but I don't want to hurt dad by doing either of those two things. Besides, dad isn't only punishing us. He listens to us when we have something to say. I bet that if I explain to him what happened he'll get me my toy back.

"It was mine, father. I had it first and I was playing with it first. But then after breakfast _Donnie_ took it away and he didn't even ask. And then I saw that the back was off too and I bet he won't put it back on now. He always breaks all of our toys!"

I don't mention that most of the time my little brother also puts them back together again. I'm too angry for that. Donnie should've asked if he could touch my action figure. If he had then it wouldn't have been broken right now.

"Are you speaking of the Spiderman action figure I brought?" Dad asks me next. I nod. I had forgotten the name but now I remember. I was thinking of changing the name because seriously, why name a superhero after spiders? Those aren't scary, you step on them once and _squish._ It doesn't sound as cool as Hawkeye or Ironman.

"Then you are at fault Raphael," dad continues and I stare at him with wide, open eyes. "I had brought that toy down for all four of you. You very well know that I do not find that many toys that are still unbroken and safe to play with, which means you and your brothers need to share the ones that are. Next time when you find something you want to have so badly, ask your brothers if you may keep it. However, I will not see behaviour like this from you again. Hurting your brother over something as worthless as possessions is not tolerated in this home, have I made myself clear?"

"Hai sensei," I say honestly. Mostly we call him father because that's respectful, but whenever we learn something from dad, we need to call him sensei. Because then he's our teacher, like in ninjutsu. I stretch my arms out for the hug I know comes after. Dad gives me a smile which I return before running off. Maybe I can ask Don if he will fix the Spiderman action figure for me. I bet he will.

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That night I can't sleep. I watch my brothers one by one from my mattress. We have three mattresses now. We used to sleep with all on one, when we were still short enough to lie on one horizontally. When we started to grow, sensei found us new bedding to sleep on. Donnie and I have our own now while Leo and Mikey still share one. Mikey doesn't really like being alone after all and Leo said he was fine with sharing.

Donnie on the other hand is having this crazy growth-spurt and already has grown taller than the width of our largest mattress. I don't mind sharing a bed with my brothers but I'm still glad they didn't chose me to do so. It's nice to have something of your own. Your own blanket, your own pillow, no kicking brothers throwing you off the mattress.

Because I can't sleep I grab the Spiderman figure next to my bed. It doesn't work anymore. It used to talk and a couple of lights would flash on when you push a button. Don tried to fix it but one of the wires I saw in the back got damaged when I pushed my brother. Donnie felt bad so I couldn't stay angry with him. Also, dad would put me in the corner again if I would. So I had told him it was fine as long as I could keep it from now on. He was okay with that.

I'm glad to finally have a toy to myself from now on but it isn't as much fun as it used to be when it wasn't broken. We don't have that many electric toys to play with around the lair, mostly because we hardly have any batteries. So that's why Donnie wanted to break it apart in the first place. He likes this kind of stuff and wants to know how it works just as badly as I want to play with it.

This isn't the first toy that has been the property of only one brother. That'd be Mikey's bear. Inside it's belly is a small, hard square and when you push it it'll make roaring sounds. Even though Donnie is extremely curious as to how it works, he never even tried to touch it. Because dad had told us once that it was Mikey's. It was the very first toy in the lair that ever belonged to only one of us, not to everyone. Dad said it was because Mikey had found it himself. When you work hard to get something then you can enjoy the reward you get after. Mikey had been helping dad scavenging that day while during that same week he had a lot of nightmares, all of them about the evil humans finding out about us or taking dad away. He was scared but he helped dad anyways and it was then that he found the bear. So it's probably fair that he could keep-

Hey. I carefully crawl out of my bed, the idea that just interrupted my train of thoughts now stuck in my mind. I've snuck out of our room plenty of times before and I do it just as easily as I always had. The living room is more tricky though. Mostly when I sneak out of bed it's because I want to watch TV when I can't sleep. That happens to me sometimes but the same goes for Donnie and Mikey. Dad always finds out about it though. He lets me watch TV for exactly half an hour every time I come down before he comes out to bring me back to bed.

Hopefully dad will think I'm going to watch TV again so he won't come out of his room for another half an hour. After all, none of us have ever attempted to leave the lair at midnight, not without his supervision. I guess the thirty minutes are enough for me to get back, I think, I hope. If dad finds out I've broken his number one rule, he'll be very angry. And I'm not even afraid of him being angry, it's more like that I don't want him to be disappointed in me and stop teaching me how to be a ninja. He says ninjas live by very strict rules which you can't break. But I really want to do this too, and dad also says that you must do what feels right. This feels right.

When we go out, we have to wear our coats, hats, gloves and shoes. They're stored close to the lair entry because even Leo manages to forget about them sometimes. I snag my clothes from the shelf and put them on when I'm in the tunnels so no one can hear me.

As soon as I've done that, I listen again. Everything is quiet, no sounds coming from the lair or further into the tunnel. When I have the clothes on and strapped around my body like dad always told us to do, I walk to one of the few manholes I can remember. We've all went with dad to go scavenging at some point. He doesn't like bringing us along but sometimes dad is just too large to crawl through the smaller bins unnoticed or even to just come out in the morning without being seen.

I know this manhole leads to the alleyway near the toy store. I've only been there once because dad thinks toys aren't as important to scavenge as food is. But he brought each of us along to this place once because the toy store doesn't throw out toys, they put them outside for them to get picked up for orphanages. Dad will let us chose one toy for all four of us because he says we have right to them as well, but we can only take one so we need to share. But this time I'll bring home a toy all by myself, maybe some food as well. Then I worked really hard for it and dad will let me keep the toy.

It's pretty easy to find the right manhole. I get a little nervous all of the sudden but I probably shouldn't. I've been with dad a couple of times already, I know what to do. And I'm older now, I'm a big boy, dad told us so. And big boys have to behave their age which means not being a scaredy-cat.

I climb the ladder and struggle a little with the cover. It's heavier than I thought it would be. When I finally manage to move it, I'm glad it isn't as dark outside anymore. It's probably around six or seven in the morning right now because I'm sure I've slept some tonight. I'm glad the sun is already coming up. Leo tells Mikey ninjas need to work together with the darkness and the shadows but that doesn't mean finding cool stuff won't be much easier with a bit of light.

When I get out in the open and start looking around the alley, I quickly find out there is a reason why dad doesn't take us here that often. There's nothing standing at the back of the store. They probably do the donations like once every few months. Now there's nothing except for a few dumpsters used by the stores around here. It's Tuesday though so that means the trash is going to be picked up today. Maybe this doesn't have to be a wasted trip after all, if I can come home with some food so dad won't be angry with me.

I climb into the first dumpster when I hear someone shouting.

"Hey!"

Maybe I haven't been as stealthy as I usually am when dad is there. I'm not allowed to talk to people. Dad did once, when he had his clothes on. But we were never allowed because it's too dangerous, dad says. But it isn't like anyone would see I'm a turtle now, right? Humans are rather stupid, you see them doing stupid stuff on TV all the time.

"What!" I shout back, poking my head back over the edge of the dumpster. For a moment I regret the decision because the one that shouted apparently has friends. I shrink back a little when they come over and start laughing.

"Watcha doin' lil' man?"

They're with four of them and I don't think they're eighteen yet. But they're much older than I am, that's for sure. They don't seem very friendly, the way they laugh. They walk strangely, swaying the way Leo walked after Donnie had hit him against his head on accident during a spar. Why are they out this early anyway? It's Sunday after all.

"Diggin' through the trash? You a streetrat or somethin'?"

The boy who is talking sounds a little strange. As if his voice is just as wobbly as his walk is. He has a leather jacket on with a white t-shirt underneath. His jeans are ripped but in a good way, like it's supposed to be ripped. His hair is gelled backwards and he wears sunglasses. He looks really cool.

"None of your business," I reply, not letting him get the better of me. We don't like going through the trash but dad told us we have to because people will never understand us. It's the only way we can survive. It's a hard way, but at least we can live.

I crawl backwards a little when those guys won't seem to stop laughing, yelling things towards one another I don't really catch and coming closer and closer while they try to keep their balance. I'm not afraid of them, of course. Not really. I just don't want them to see me up close. Plus, they're acting really weird. I don't _want_ them close.

When I slowly back away my hand presses on something really hard which makes me hiss. When I look down I see bright red plastic and for a moment that holds my undivided attention. They're rollerblades. I've seen them before on TV but never in reality. I've always wanted to try something like it though. I grab the one underneath my hand first and notice how one of the straps is broken and two wheels are missing. The other one is in a good condition though.

"What you got there, streetrat?"

I keep the blades close to me when I climb over the edge and jump onto the ground. I closed the manhole cover after I had climbed through it so I can't really go anywhere from here. I'm stuck.

"They're mine!" I yell back at them, marvelling at how good it feels to finally call something _my own._ But these guys think differently because they start laughing again. One in a red t-shirt comes closer and rips one of the blades out of my arms. Too bad for him because now I got one of my hands free. I grab at his face and get a hold of a large nose-ring. I pull and he screams. He lets go of my blade and I do the same to his nose-ring when sticky blood touches my skin.

"You filthy lil'…"

He doesn't finish his sentence and instead starts moaning, holding his nose tightly. The other three guys come at me now and the nervousness from before comes back big-time. Not like I'm afraid or anything, I can probably take these guys down. I'm a trained ninja. But they're with more and way bigger than I am. It's different from throwing Mikey over my shoulder or tackling Donnie to the ground. These guys are huge and strong. I don't even know what they want from me but from what I've seen in the movies, nothing of this is going to end well. Guys like them, the cool-looking ones, hurt people for fun.

The third boy, one with jet black hair pointed up into spikes, comes closer to me. He wears black boots with spikes on the back, a brown jacket with spikes on the shoulders and the rings on his fingers are decorated with spikes. Makes me wonder what his nickname would be…

Before I can even think about it though, he comes at me with his fist, punching me in the cheek and making it bleed when the sharp rings pierce my skin. I choke out a yell before ducking and grabbing the dropped rollerblade, ready to break into a run. But before I can even think of turning around, a hand grabs me by my coat. It's the last guy. He's quite tall and looks a little more clumsy than the other three. He wears a simple hoody and pants which seem to be a size too big for him. Too bad his hold is way stronger than he actually looks like.

"Oh dear, what's happening here?"

Another voice? My attackers are standing in front of me in a semi-circle, I can't see what's happening behind them. It sounds like a woman though. An old woman. Great, how is some old lady going to fix this? I'll probably need to defend her too, like in Batman. All the superheroes protect the old, helpless, defenceless women who are being mugged.

"We were jus' playin'with this lil' guy, ma'am," 'Spikey' says. Because they all turn around I can finally glance around them to see the lady. She looks really old. She has a walking stick and this very long woollen coat while it isn't even that cold outside. She also has this really big had on and even from here I can smell her 'old-ladies-perfume'.

"They're lying!" I say, stomping my foot a little even though I know that's something two-year-olds do. "They tried to steal my blades."

She frowns a little, her face scrunching up when she addresses the four guys in front of me. "You lads do not sound so well," she says. "I do not approve of youngsters like you roaming the streets this early, especially not while intoxicated from after what I assume was a whole night of partying."

The cool kids kind of laugh at that but they sound more nervous than when they laughed at me a couple of minutes ago. I'm not really sure why because I didn't understand what the lady meant. Why would guys like them care of what she approves off? They're too cool for that, right?

"Now if I'm not mistaken," the lady continues. "You are under twenty-one years old. If you don't want to get into trouble I advise you to make your way home now and leave this young boy alone."

To my surprise, they do. They just walk away, still grinning a little and pushing each other about but they don't seem as confident as when they walked up to me. I could be offended because I'm a way better fighter than that lady could ever be. They should've been scared of me, not her. But I'm way to happy really. Because I still have my rollerblades and came out untouched.

"Sweetie, does it hurt?"

Oh right, except for my cheek. I try to keep my face hidden behind my cap like dad taught us to do if we were ever spoken to by humans.

"Oh dear child, how could those boys ever pick on someone as unfortunate as you are. Look at your clothes! And digging through a filthy dumpster just to find yourself something to play with. You don't have much, boy, do you?"

I shake my head, fumbling with the blades in my hands. It's true what she said, we don't have that much. Dad tells us that all the time and then apologises for it although I'm not sure why. It's all we've ever known. So I don't really get why she seems to feel so bad for me.

"I have my family though," I tell her, hoping it'll make her happy to hear that. "And I found rollerblades now."

The lady smiles and comes a little closer. She doesn't look threatening like the boys from earlier. She looks friendly, the smile on her face wrinkling her cheeks and forehead even more. I think I like un-cool people like her way more than the cool kids from before.

"Of course you do. Oh special little boys like you warm my heart. Now I have to be on my way now, I wouldn't want to be late to hear the church's choir singing."

She takes another few steps closer, squatting in front of me with effort and heavily leaning on her walking stick, a little like dad always does. She has something in her hand and presses it into mine.

"Sweet children like you deserve all there is in the world. Let nobody tell you any different."

She takes something from her pocket, a napkin I think. She comes closer and tries to press it against my cheek. But that's when she sees it. She starts screaming.

I scramble back, yelping slightly but nothing like the sound the old lady makes now.

"You demon, stay away from me," she screeches. "No wonder you live of garbage, you are a monster! Only God's children deserve His makings and the right to live on this planet!"

She scares me really badly now. She doesn't fight me, and I don't want to fight her. Yet she makes me afraid. I take a few steps back and fall on my knees by the sewer's manhole, shoving the metal lid away. I want to reach for my rollerblades but the woman starts kicking in my direction, almost stepping on my splayed fingers. I let myself fall, unknowingly taking the small package the lady pushed into my hands, with me.

TMNTTMNTTMNTTMNTTMNTTMNTTMNTTMNTTMNTTMNTTMNTTMNTTMNTTMNTTMNTTMNT

It's around half an hour later that Master Splinter finds me. I brace myself when I get picked up by furry arms and pressed against a warm chest. Only then do I allow a few tears to slip past my eyelids. Dad isn't angry now, he is scared like I was. I know he is because he holds me the way he held Donnie when he had split his head open while playing in the sewers. He holds me the way he held Mikey when he was very sick and he thought he wouldn't make it. He holds me the way he held Leo when my oldest brother had gotten lost and had been strolling around the sewers for hours. And now he holds me, and makes me feel safe.

"Raphael, where have you been?" I can hear dad speak softly. "I was so afraid when you didn't come out of your room. Your brothers didn't even know where you were. Your clothes were gone and God, Raphael, where have you been?"

I take a few deep breaths when dad puts me down again. He stays crouched besides me, his hands still barely touching mine. I think I scared him badly.

"I went topside," I tell him honestly. I dare to because I think he figured as much. "I tried to find myself my own toys but then some boys came and they hit me on the cheek and they tried to take my rollerblades from me but they were stopped when this lady came and she scared them away but then I scared her and she scared me and I couldn't take the blades with me because she was scary so I ran and then I found you."

It takes dad a long time to say something. He rubs my cheek gently, whipping the blood away with his sleeve. I think he'll put the booboo-spray on once we get home. I wince at the thought.

"Raphael," dad says, looking at me sternly. I think he's starting to get less scared now and more angry. "Why did you go above ground? Has this to do with that action figure of yours?"

I nod. "Mikey has his own bear because he found it. I thought if I could find my own toy and maybe bring some food along too, that you would let me keep it. Then I would always have something to play with that Leo doesn't hog for weeks, Donnie won't break apart and Mikey won't doodle on."

Dad shakes his head, letting go of a long sigh. He stands up and rubs my head a little. He doesn't really look that happy.

"That's not how it works, Raphael. It's… difficult for you to understand when you are this young. You know I have a hard time providing for the four of you and I am truly sorry that you have to grow up in this environment of shortages and poverty. I understand that you long for something that can be yours and yours alone but I am afraid it is hard for me to comply to your wishes. Do you understand that?"

I nod again, taking dad's hand when he starts walking. "I don't mind that much, dad. I just wanted my own toy. So I thought I could get it on my own so I wouldn't bother you with it."

The rest of our way home dad reprimands me of my 'foolish behaviour' and how I 'endangered myself and the family' and to 'never scare him so much ever again'. I think that's what I hate the most, that I scared dad. Because he's a ninja master, he usually isn't afraid of anything. I tell him I'm very sorry and he accepts it. I'm not allowed to watch TV for a week though and I'll have to help dad after every meal with cleaning up as a punishment. Also I'll have to meditate for another hour, every day of this week to think of what I've done and how dangerous and stupid it had been. I know that isn't as bad as it could have been though.

"Father?" I ask when we come near the lair. He hasn't said anything to me for the last couple of minutes, probably letting everything sink in, like I've been doing.

"Something strange happened topside," I continue when dad nods his head to show he heard me. "I told you about the woman who helped me, right?" He nods again. "Well, she did something odd. First she told me that I was a good kid and that I deserved to have everything in the world. But then she came closer to take a look at my cheek and she started screaming. She said I was a demon."

Dad winces when he hears my story. He stops short and bends down again to face me. Both of his hands lean on my shoulder, his stick leaning against the sewer wall on our right.

"Can't we have anything because we look different?" I ask dad.

He shakes his head. For some reason he hugs me again and when he pulls back he looks really sad.

"Yes we look different but don't let that be a reason to keep you down, my son. You are such a spirited and strong soul, Raphael, and you don't deserve to be treated in the way that woman did to you. She was not in her right mind to tell you that, alright? You and your brothers are so special to me and if I could, I would give you all in the world."

And that makes sense. What that woman yelled was scary and weird. What daddy tells me now isn't. It's what he has always told us and since dad is always right, I'm pretty sure he's right about this too. Plus, dad always told us to never start a fight, only fight back when someone else attacks you. Then you're allowed because it is self-defence. The humans I've met today, they both tried to start fights with me. If they are as good as they think they are, they would have honoured the bush.. bushilo… mushimi… the ninja code.

Confidently I let go of dad's hand when we enter the lair. There my brothers immediately surround me, asking a mile per hour on where I've been. Dad told me not to tell them too much but I just can't leave the part out in which I was surrounded by this whole gang of kids, ready to beat the shell out of them even when I was outnumbered.

When I'm done telling them the story, and clearly stating to them in how much trouble I had gotten into because dad doesn't want me to have a bad influence on my brothers, we all finally have breakfast. My brothers obviously hadn't eaten yet either since dad was trying to find me. As it is already close to noon, we were all very hungry. After eating, I did the dishes as it was part my punishment.

Finally, after doing everything I was supposed to so I wouldn't be on dad's bad side anymore, I sat down in our shared bedroom to find something to do. I ran my hands through my belt and found the small package the crazy-lady had given me.

I look at it closely and come to the conclusion that there are gummi-bears inside. Dad doesn't allow us candy very often because it isn't nutritious or anything and because he says it makes us hyper. Also, there isn't that much candy to be found in garbage cans or on the streets. This package is a treasure here in the lair.

I stand up, entering the living room where all of my brothers are doing their own thing. The least I can do is give them a bear too, right?

 **Phew, this turned out way longer than I had expected. Man, did I like doing this. And for all you Raph-fans out there, I'm sorry if he comes off a little OOC but this is what I envision an eight-year-old Raph to be. He isn't all hormonal-enraged-teenager yet, he's just a little boy with little-boy-logic. I've been tutoring an eight-year-old for a long time now (just as hard-headed as our favourite turtle in red) so this is what he's based on and what I thought sounded about right.**

 **Okay, that sounded very defensive but anywho, I hope you all enjoyed this little Splinter/Raph moment, I absolutely loved it.**

 **See ya all!**


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